SANTA CRUZ, St Elizabeth — The relocation of some of Jamaica’s infirmaries located in flood-prone areas is one option being considered as part of the country’s building back stronger objective in the wake of the Category 5 Hurricane Melissa.

The infirmaries provide care for destitute and vulnerable people who lack family or financial support, but several of those structures buckled under the onslaught of Melissa.

Minister of Local Government Desmond McKenzie, who has been touring the infirmaries since the hurricane pummelled the island on October 28, identified the St Ann Infirmary as one that could be in need of relocation, while safer ground has been found for the Trelawny Infirmary in Falmouth.

“It is going to take some time for us to bring the facilities back to what they used to be. At least five of our infirmaries across the country have been affected. Trelawny has no facility,” McKenzie said on Thursday during a clean-up of the infirmary in Santa Cruz, St Elizabeth.

He announced that four retrofitted containers are to be used to accommodate indigents in Trelawny in the short term.

“Within another four weeks I am hoping that we will be able to complete the process to put them down and to make sure that Christmas [doesn’t] catch them at [a school shelter], but in a home that will be there for them until we can put back things in place,” added McKenzie.

He pointed to the need to find suitable land to move the St Ann Infirmary from its present location in Priory.

“The infirmary in St Ann, not much damage, but work is presently underway to do the necessary repairs… for us to ensure that the residents can go back to comfort. One of the lessons that Melissa has taught us is that nowhere in Jamaica is safe anymore, and especially if you operate close to the sea, to a river. The infirmary in St Ann sits next door to the sea. We are going to be making arrangements to have the infirmary in St Ann relocated,” said McKenzie.

“We are going to be doing that, because what I saw in Falmouth and I learnt from [Hurricane] Beryl, that to move the residents can’t be done on the same day the hurricane is blowing and that is what happened last year with Beryl. This time around I gave instructions three days before and I am glad I did, because when I went to Falmouth… what I saw, nothing could help the residents there,” added McKenzie.

He said the Westmoreland Infirmary was also severely affected by the Category 5 hurricane.

“I will be going there next week to have a look at the damage and what needs to be done at that infirmary… We are not going to make any mistake when it comes around to the infirmaries during the times that we think they are going to be in danger, so we are going to be starting the process to find the lands in St Ann to relocate that infirmary,” said McKenzie.

He commended the staff at Santa Cruz Infirmary for delivering care to the indigent there.

“The staff moved the residents. Some of them, you have to be careful how you lift them. They carried them through waist-high water… during the passing of Melissa,” said McKenzie as Matron Bianca Mitchell-Smith cried openly.

“The staff here deserve all the credit and praise in the world that is possible. There are many of them who have lost their homes. They have to be staying here. When I came here last week and I saw the conditions I cried, because what I witnessed was an event that could have gone worse than we have seen,” he added.

McKenzie announced that he is assembling a team of experts to see how best flooding can be mitigated at the Santa Cruz infirmary which is located near the Upper Black River Morass.

“There is a lot of work to be done here so that we can look at to see how best we can minimise the level of flooding that takes place on the compound. This section is extremely low. You have the fire brigade station up the road. They, too, were affected. They couldn’t come out to offer any help to anybody,” said McKenzie.

The local government minister announced that he will be working with municipal corporations islandwide to expand the technical capacity of his ministry to do the assessment on the various infirmaries.

According to McKenzie, some infirmaries are outdated and will need extensive renovation or rebuilding.

“Ninety per cent of our infirmaries are over 100 years old and time [has] come to replace some of these buildings and put up new structures that will be able to cope,” declared McKenzie.

WATCH:

Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie in a conversation with matron at the Santa Cruz Infirmary Bianca Mitchell-Smith on Thursday.

Workers from Southern Parks and Markets placing broken chairs in a tipper truck at Santa Cruz Infirmary in St Elizabeth, on Thursday.